The Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox square off in a meaningful series for both teams, but especially for the Guardians. The Red Sox put together a huge run in the middle of the season to get into the wild card picture, and they have mostly just been okay since then. But they have a safe cushion with only a week remaining. The Guards have a one-game lead in the AL Central and a cushion in the wild card race if they need it, thanks to a 5-game winning streak last week. I think the Guardians can keep it going on Tuesday, and I will take them on the Money Line.
The pitching matchup is a great one, as Parker Messick takes on Payton Tolle. These are two of the best young lefties in the game, and both have been in great form when their team has needed them down the stretch. There might not be a lot of advantage here, except that Boston has more reason to limit their guy, and I wouldn’t expect a full workload as the Sox try to position themselves for the postseason. I also believe in the motivation angle, and the Guardians have that in their corner. Let’s go with the hot team riding a winning streak, and that needs to keep stacking wins to close the season.
Guardians vs Red Sox prediction: Guardians ML (+110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -110.
